LSU warns sale of merchandise could have negative impact on Mathieu's eligibility

LSU's compliance office has "sent out cease-and-desist letters to a number of people selling T-shirts and other merchandise" depicting S Tyrann Mathieu and his nickname, "Honey Badger," according to Steve Sanoski of the GREATER BATON ROUGE BUSINESS REPORT. A message on the compliance office's website reads, "Because it is a recognizable nickname, 'Honey Badger' is considered a likeness of Tyrann Mathieu under NCAA regulations." It also warns that sale of the merchandise "could have a negative impact on the involved student-athlete's eligibility." Sanoski noted Mathieu's "name, initials or number, or any LSU reference ... are all listed as violations of LSU's licensing rules." Tiger District CEO Jared Loftus, who makes Honey Badger T-shirts, has not gotten a letter from the school, and he said, "This Honey Badger thing is bigger than LSU. In Baton Rouge, people associate it with Tyrann Mathieu, but if you ask people around the country about the Honey Badger, they're going to say, 'Yeah, I saw that video, it's hilarious'" (BUSINESSREPORT.com, 12/8). A YouTube video that shows an actual honey badger roaming the wilderness with humorous commentary has drawn more than 26 million views (THE DAILY).